The Dream Is Over
by immaturelittlegirl
Summary: Buffy goes to Angel hoping to get help for Spike but gets sort of sidetracked during her mission. B/A, a little b/s and a/c too.
1. Part 1

**WARNING**: If you haven't seen up to Buffy Season 7 and Angel season 4 (specifically up to "Conversations with Dead People" and "Rain of Fire") then you might not want to read this story just yet… 

Author: ImmatureLittleGirl

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy and all those important people do. I'm just a kid, I own nothing. 

Rating: pg-13-ish

Summary: Buffy goes to Angel hoping to get help for Spike but gets sort of sidetracked during her mission. B/A, a little b/s and a/c too.

Author's note: Yeah I know A/C, YUCK! I don't like them together either but it's just sorta necessary for the plot. 

**The Dream Is Over**

Part 1

Buffy stood nervously outside the door of the Hyperion looking up at the sky in confusion. She had been only half way to LA when the heavens had opened up and fire had begun to rain from the sky. The only up and coming apocalypse she knew of was "From beneath you, it devours." As vague as the cryptic statement was, as far as Buffy could tell, this certainly was not beneath her. Nothing was ever simple in Buffy's life. She comes looking for a little advice to help a friend, and she's greeted with a NEW apocalypse, as if she didn't have enough of her own to deal with. 

Hoping that Angel would know what on Earth was going on, Buffy pushed the doors open and made her way into the lobby in search of answers. Descending the steps and traveling further into the dark spacious room, Buffy looked around warily, searching for any signs of Angel. She could sense that he was close, but she couldn't here a single noise throughout the entire building. It didn't seem like Angel to be sitting back resting on his ass when the sky had just opened up and his city was in the process of being destroyed. Buffy made her way over to the office area where she found a light switch and flicked it on, better revealing her surroundings. The desks were cluttered with piles and piles of what appeared to be recent cases. 

Buffy froze when she heard a muffled thud come from the inner office. Very quietly she made her way over to the door and opened it slowly. The room was completely dark, with the exception of the small amount of light spilling in from the outer office and she could just barely make out a shadowy figure sitting in a chair in the center of the room. She knew it was Angel even before she flicked the lights on.

Buffy gasped as soon as she saw the condition of Angel and the room. The furniture through out the room was torn apart and destroyed, and paper was strewn all over the office. Angel sat in the center of the room staring at the ceiling, and looked as though he had just been severely beaten.

"Angel! Oh my God! Are you ok?" Buffy rushed to his side immediately.

"What are you doing here?" Angel asked, tilting his head to the side and looking at her questioningly, as if he had just noticed she was there.

"I was going to ask you something… It's not important now. What happened?" Buffy asked, cupping his cheek with her hand gently. Angel hissed and yanked his face away quickly, causing Buffy to step back.

"Don't," Angel commanded harshly, his face shifting into his demonic features. Buffy was surprised and confused by his behavior, and stood still for a few moments unsure what to do or say.

"What is going on?" Buffy asked remembering the destruction taking place outside.

"The end of the world," Angel answered casually.

"And you're not going to do anything?" Buffy asked, anger rising in her from the way he was behaving.

"I've done all I can to save this world, but no matter what I do, the same thing always happens. The world is going to end eventually, Buffy. Stop bothering to fight it, there's no use. No reward." Angel's voice sounded weak and defeated. He tilted his head back and began staring at the ceiling again.

"Snap out of it Angel! We have to do something. Is there nothing in this world worth saving?" Buffy shouted in frustration.

"No," Angel answered simply. Buffy was hurt by his answer; if someone were to have asked her the same question he would have been part of her answer. Angel was oblivious to the pain he was causing Buffy, which only enraged her more.

"Get up!" Buffy yelled, shoving him out of his chair and onto the floor.

Angel sprang back up to his feet quickly, his bored expression of a moment ago now one of pure rage. "Give up!" Angel screamed, pushing Buffy back in retaliation. Buffy had been caught off guard by his sudden rejuvenation and hit the wall in back of her with enough force to put a dent into the wall, just before she crumbled to the ground. Angel came at her again, lifting her by the collar of her shirt and setting her back on her feet before whispering, "There's no hope, it's time to just die."

Tears began to slide down Buffy's face as what Angel was saying began to set in. It was the end of the world, and they couldn't stop it. Deep down she wanted to try, but Angel's words, "The world is going to end eventually, Buffy. Stop bothering to fight it, there's no use. No reward," kept ringing in her head. Buffy leaned back against the wall in defeat as the fight went right out of her. 

Angel's demonic features slipped away as he stood in front of Buffy watching her carefully before he finally gave in to need and kissed her with everything he had left in him. Buffy returned the kiss at first but pulled away abruptly after only a few seconds. "Angel, don't," Buffy whispered, trying to pull away.

"No. Please, just make the pain go away," Angel begged, before leaning down and kissing her again. Buffy gave in as well, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. The couple tumbled to the floor moments later, allowing temptation to over take them.

***

Buffy awoke slowly the next morning, trying to remember where she was. She could feel that she was sleeping on top of something hard and cold and she was in a cluttered unfamiliar room. Then suddenly the previous night's events flooded back to her and she realized the cold hard something she had been sleeping on was Angel. Buffy sat up quickly climbing off of Angel and trying to find her stake quickly. 

Apparently the world hadn't ended the night before, and so that meant Angel would be losing his soul momentarily, if he hadn't already. Tears began to flow down Buffy's cheeks for the second time in less than twenty-four hours as she realized she would have to kill Angel in a few moments. Buffy took a moment to compose herself, struggling to stop the tears; she wiped her eyes not wanting to show weakness.

Reaching out a hand, Buffy finally shoved Angel in the side trying to wake him. After a moment, he stirred and his eyes fluttered open. For a moment he stared at Buffy, confusion etched on his face as he tried to remember why he and Buffy were naked in his office. It wasn't long before he was greeted with last night's unpleasant memories. Sitting up he reached for his pants, noticing that most of his major injuries from the night before were almost healed. He stood pulling his pants on and looked to Buffy who was watching him carefully while clutching a stake in her hand.

"Not that I don't appreciate the view, but aren't you going to put some clothes on?" Angel asked, trying to keep his eyes from roaming below her neck.

"So you're not Angelus?" Buffy asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"No. It's a little hard to achieve perfect happiness when the world is about to end around you. Which, come to think of it, hasn't happened," Angel commented, looking out through the outer office into the lobby where he could see tiny rays of sun streaming in.

"No, I guess it hasn't. Someone must have picked up our slack last night and prevented the end of the world without us," Buffy replied grabbing her clothes and quickly dressing. "Are you ok?" Buffy asked, remembering the devastated condition Angel had been in the night before.

"Me? Yeah," Angel lied. His heart was still shattered into millions of little pieces from seeing his son in bed with the woman he loved. 

Buffy noticed the dejected look that appeared on his face and approached him quietly, placing her hand on his arm in a show of comfort. Angel flinched away from her touch quickly, and Buffy stepped back, surprised by his reaction. A hurt look crossed her face and Angel immediately felt guilty. He realized how selfish he had been to sleep with Buffy. He had been hurt and depressed and had used her as a source of comfort, not taking her own feelings into consideration.

"I should call and make sure Dawn is doing okay," Buffy stated, stepping past Angel into the outer office. Buffy picked up the phone and dialed her home number waiting for Dawn or Willow to answer.

"Hello," Willow answered with alert, after only the first ring.

"Willow, it's Buffy. Is Dawn and everyone okay?" Buffy asked genuinely concerned.

"Yes, we're all fine. Are you okay? What happened last night Buffy?" Willow asked frantically.

"I'm fine. I'm not sure what went on last night. I'll be home as soon as possible though, and we can figure things out then. I'll see you later this afternoon." Buffy hung up the phone and walked back into Angel's office, grabbing her bag and the stake she had dropped on the floor.

"Are you leaving?" Angel asked watching as she gathered her things.

"Yeah, I got the feeling that was what you wanted," she answered coldly. Angel made no move to stop her and continued to watch as she left him in his office.

"Buffy!" Angel finally called just as she was about to leave the hotel.

"Yes?" Buffy turned around and stared at him blankly.

"Why were you here to begin with?" Angel asked curiously.

"I thought you'd be able to help with something, but I think you have your own problems to deal with right now," Buffy answered before turning and leaving Angel to himself.

***

When Buffy finally arrived home she rushed into her house to check up on Dawn and made sure that everyone was safe, pushing the memories of Angel to the back of her mind. 

Sunnydale had received minimal damage in comparison to LA, and Buffy was relieved to discover that there had not been any deaths, in Sunnydale last night, due to the rain of fire. After holding a Scooby Meeting at the Magic Box later in the afternoon, they were unable to find out what the cause of the rain of fire had been but the consensus of the group had been to put it behind them and focus their energy on destroying whatever it was that intended to "devour them from beneath".

As the long day began to come to an end, the memories of Angel and the night before began to flood back to her. Although she was completely exhausted, Buffy knew she wouldn't be getting any sleep that night. Making her way up the stairs to her bedroom, Buffy began to wonder how she had ended up having sex with Angel. She had originally gone to Angel's with the innocent intention of asking Angel for advice in helping Spike with his soul. Instead she had spent the night rutting with Angel on the floor while Spike sat at home suffering with guilt from a soul he had gotten _for her_. Buffy's head was spinning with guilt as she lay down in bed. Not only had she taken advantage of Angel when he had been physically and emotionally wounded, she also knew that she had done something that would hurt Spike severely if he were to ever find out. Buffy willed all thought to leave her, but she knew sleep would not be visiting her that night.

***

Climbing into bed, Angel settled in for a long lonely night. He had spent his entire day brooding over everything that had happened, from losing his son to Holtz, to losing Cordelia to his son. He had finally come to the realization that he would never be granted happiness of any sort. Peace was not something he was ever meant to experience. Angel felt as though he had failed in every respect. He had failed as a father, he had failed as a friend, and he had failed as a lover. He had become just what his father had always predicted: a failure. 

Closing his eyes, Angel thought to the one person he had failed more times than anyone else. Remembering the look of hurt in Buffy's eyes when he had flinched away from her after she had just made love to him, only reminded him of the dozens of other times he had failed or hurt her. The day following her seventeenth birthday, her prom, her graduation, and all the little times in between, even now he was still causing her pain. But at least all those times he had had excuses to hide behind, to help lessen the guilt. Now he had no excuses, he had used Buffy and then rejected her, treating her no better than he had Darla, a soulless demon. 

Grabbing the pillow beside him, he covered his face, wishing he could suffocate himself. Instead he hid under the pillow, wishing the memories would leave him; that he could be blissfully ignorant of all the wrongs he had committed even if it were just for a moment. But he already knew, peace was not something that Angel was ever meant to experience.

***

TBC…

Another stupid author's note: Ok, so this isn't very good, but the idea came to me and I had to write it down. I thought it might help me overcome the slight case of writer's block I've been suffering from. I have a basic idea of how the next part is gonna go but I'm not sure if I should bother, because I'm not really thrilled with what I have so far. Review if you think I should bother continuing.

***


	2. Part 2

Part 2

**WARNING**: If you haven't seen up to Buffy Season 7 and Angel season 4 (specifically up to "Conversations with Dead People" and "Rain of Fire") then you might not want to read this story just yet… 

Author: Immaturelittlegirl

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy and all those important people do. I'm just a kid, I own nothing.

Rating: PG-13 (except I used one really bad word in this part, but only once!)

Summary: Buffy goes to Angel hoping to get help for Spike but gets sort of sidetracked during her mission. B/A, a little b/s and a/c too.

Part 2

Buffy sat quietly staring at the file in front of her, unable to actually concentrate on her work. She was supposed to be reading up on a student she had a meeting scheduled with later that day, but she couldn't seem to focus her attention on anything, other than Angel, since her visit to LA a week ago.

Forcing her attention back to the page in front of her, Buffy began reading about Abby Tyler, a senior this year who had recently had a drop in her perfect grades. Principal Wood had asked Buffy to hold a meeting with her and hopefully find out why Abby was falling behind, but Buffy was beginning to wonder if she could honestly offer any guidance to someone when she was feeling rather lost herself. 

Closing the file, Buffy tossed it aside figuring that if she was going to learn anything about this girl, it wasn't going to be written in the file. If that were the case, Principal Wood wouldn't have needed Buffy to talk to her. Leaning back in her chair, Buffy decided to just sit back and wait for Abby to arrive before she started her little investigation. More than likely, the girl would open up after a few minutes of coaxing, if she intended to at all. 

As Buffy waited, idly strumming her fingers on the desk, her thoughts traveled right back to Angel again. She had gotten over him years ago, or so she thought, but one night together and he was back to the forefront of her mind. She was still unable to understand why she had actually slept with him. She had so easily given in, as if the world ending meant nothing to her. The prospect of being with Angel had been enough for her to throw the world and it's consequences out the window. But hadn't his words rung true in her ears? Every time an apocalypse is averted, another comes along shortly after. And what compensation had she ever been awarded? Nothing. She hadn't even been able to enjoy her death. But then Angel had offered her the easy way out, to just forget responsibility and take what she wanted, and she had accepted this proposal, without even casting a thought to how it would affect humanity. The guilt that she had almost ended the world only a week beforehand was still weighing heavily on her shoulders, as it would for the rest of her life.

Buffy still didn't know why Angel had been so distraught that night, but she could tell that whatever it was must have been very severe, for him to have just given up the way he had. When she had found him he had been desperate and despondent. She had ignored the fact that he wasn't in the right state of mind and slept with him anyway; yet another reason for her to feel ashamed. Buffy knew that if she couldn't find something to occupy her mind soon, she would end up driving herself crazy. At least now she had a vague notion as to why Spike was going insane with guilt.

A moment later, a tiny girl with long black hair approached Buffy's desk. Buffy snapped out of her thoughts immediately, thankful for something to distract herself.

"Abby?" Buffy greeted, gesturing to the seat across her desk, indicating where Abby was to sit.

"Mr. Wood asked me to speak with you," Abby replied shyly, before sitting down on the edge of her seat.

"Yeah, we were just wondering if there was anything bothering you. I'm here to listen if you have anything you want to talk about," Buffy explained, looking to the girl expectantly.

"No, nothing bothering me," Abby answered, shaking her head to emphasize her point.

"Oh. Well, I'm sure you've noticed that your grades have dropped dramatically over the past few months. Is there any reason in particular for that?" 

"Nope. I've just been busy lately," Abby answered simply.

"Busy with things more important than school?" Buffy questioned skeptically.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"What kind of things?" Buffy asked hoping for any leads at this point.

"Just things. You wouldn't understand. Things are more complicated than you are aware of," Abby answered cryptically.

"Then would you be so kind as to enlighten me?" 

"Like I said, you wouldn't understand," Abby insisted. Losing interest in the conversation she began gazing around the room.

"I might be able to understand. I graduated from SHS just a few years ago; I remember what high school was like. I'm only here to help you, just tell me what's bothering you. Boys? Drugs? Demons?" Buffy began guessing, leaning in closer so that only Abby was able to hear the last thing she said.

"Demons?" Abby repeated, her attention snapping back to Buffy.

"Yeah, I've seen it all. I told you, I graduated from Sunnydale High just a few years ago, too," Buffy reminded her.

"Do you know a lot about demons and stuff?" Abby asked in a hushed tone, leaning in closer as well.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Buffy answered, borrowing Abby's line from earlier.

"Do you know anything about witches?" Abby asked meekly.

"I do. Does witchcraft have to do with the reason your grades have been slipping?" Buffy was finally beginning to get somewhere with Abby.

"Well, maybe. I came across this book in the library, I didn't think any of it would really work, but… it did. And I've just sort of gotten hooked on it. It's amazing, I can do things like, make small objects float and, and turn ice into fire! But I need to practice. But why should I learn about calculus when I could be developing a skill that I could actually make some use of?" Abby explained.

"I see, so you've been to busy practicing witchcraft to do your homework? That's not the right way to go about this, Abby. A friend of mine began practicing witchcraft in high school and was still able to maintain her grades. There must be ways you can compromise and do both. But make sure you are careful, magic can be a very tricky thing, don't get yourself in over your head," Buffy advised.

"Okay, thanks," Abby answered standing to leave.

"No problem. Feel free to drop by and talk to me anytime," Buffy offered, standing to escort Abby out of the office. 

Principal Wood exited his office a moment later in time to see Buffy saying goodbye to Abby.

"Problem solved already?" Wood asked, when Buffy turned around to head back to her desk.

"Yeah, it should be," Buffy answered distractedly.

"That was quick. You're really good with this guidance thing Buffy. You really connect with the students," Wood complimented Buffy, smiling broadly.

"Just typical teen stuff. At the time all that stuff seemed like the end of the world, mostly because, at the time, it was… but now... I don't know, it just seems like things get more complicated with age," Buffy replied. In high school, Buffy's biggest problem had been the world ending, but now she was dealing with that on top of paying bills, being a parent, and taking care of one vampire who was in love with her, while she was in love with another. But she couldn't be in love with Angel, not anymore, could she? Buffy placed a hand to her head as it began to spin with the terrifying new thought.

"For some people things only get harder as life goes on, but judging from what I have read about your colorful past, I find it hard to believe that your life could be much more complicated now than it was in high school," Wood remarked skeptically.

"You'd be surprised," Buffy stated. Sighing Buffy collapsed into her chair, her thoughts spiraling into the same direction they had been all morning… Angel.

***

Angel sighed as he finally finished cataloguing his books by culture and era again. Taking a step back, he looked around the office, admiring the work he had put into placing the office back together. He had torn the room apart in a fit of rage after seeing Connor and Cordelia in bed together, and then had further destroyed the office during his fight with Buffy. But now, after a week of reorganizing, the room was presentable once again.

Angel sat down at his new desk and began flipping through a case file, knowing that it was time he got back to work. He hadn't worked on a case in over a week, since his "Buffy incident". A moment later, Angel heard the door to the lobby open and footsteps entering.

"Angel?" Wesley called, standing in the center of the lobby.

"Hey," Angel greeted, emerging from the offices. "Heard anything on Gunn's condition yet?" Angel's voice divulged his concern.

"He's recovering steadily, I just returned from the hospital. They think he should be released from the hospital by the end of the week," Wesley informed.

"Good. I've been meaning to thank you for everything you did last week," Angel stated awkwardly, referring to how Wesley, with the help of Lilah and Wolfram and Hart, had averted the apocalypse after Angel had completely given up. If it hadn't been for Wesley, the world would have come to an end.

"No need to thank me. You have helped in preventing many apocalypses, as well," Wesley replied, blushing slightly with pride in saving the world. "And if I hadn't, who would have?" Wesley looked at Angel pointedly. 

"Yes, well… Thank you anyway," Angel responded, staring at the floor.

"Cordelia was also at the hospital. She was wondering how you were doing," Wesley remarked, conversationally.

"Oh." Angel looked around uncomfortably. He had been trying desperately to avoid thinking about Cordelia, Connor, or Buffy for the entire day, but it seemed no matter how he tried, eventually his thoughts were drawn back to that night. 

"So, how _are_ you doing?" Wesley asked, staring at Angel suspiciously.

"Fine," Angel answered, returning Wesley's suspicious look. 

They stood silently glaring at each other for a moment before Wesley finally cut to the chase. "Do you still have your soul?"

"Huh?" Angel asked with surprise.

"Wolfram and Hart, they have eyes on you at all times. Lilah told me a blonde woman spent the night here last week.  You haven't been working on any cases, but you haven't been out maiming and killing, they're not sure if you've lost your soul. I don't believe you have, being that I am still alive, but I figured I might as well be sure," Wesley explained, still watching Angel very closely, despite the admission that he believed his soul was still intact.

"Oh," Angel replied leaning back against the counter. "I still have my soul, no need for concern. The reason I haven't been working on any cases is because I've been healing and my entire team is currently out. Gunn's in the hospital, Fred's looking after Gunn, Cordelia is screwing my son, and well, Lorne doesn't much like the combat element of saving lives," Angel answered simply.

"I see. Wait. Cordelia is sleeping with Connor?" Wesley asked, confusion crossing his face.

"Yep," Angel answered, feigning disinterest.

"And this does not bother you?" Wesley was unconvinced.

"What say do I have in the matter?" Angel answered harshly, passing Wesley and collapsing on the sofa in the center of the lobby.

"Hmm… But then who was the blonde?" Wesley questioned, still slightly confused by the situation. He was well aware of Angel's love for Cordelia, and was surprised at Angel's composure, considering the situation.

"Buffy," Angel answered, burying his head in his hands as he recalled the night's events. 

"Ahh, and the plot thickens…" Wesley commented, beginning to understand more. "So you and Buffy are… a couple again?" Wesley assumed.

"No, nothing like that! She just stayed the night, one night. There are no feelings between us anymore; at least not feelings of love. I'm in love with Cordelia, or I was… I don't know… But I'm not in love with Buffy anymore, that's over," Angel denied a little too vehemently. 

"Of course," Wesley agreed sarcastically. Angel simply glared at Wesley in response. "If you say so…"

"I'm being serious, what Buffy and I had ended long ago," Angel insisted.

"Who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself?" Wesley asked, smirking.

Angel remained silent as he considered the question Wesley had posed. Was he really in denial about his true feelings of love for Buffy? He couldn't really be in love with Buffy still, could he? Everything seemed so jumbled and confusing to him.

Wesley watched as Angel slipped into one of his brooding sessions, no longer aware of Wesley's presence. Quietly slipping away, Wesley left Angel alone with his thoughts of guilt. 

***

Buffy climbed the steps of the apartment building slowly, unsure why she had bothered to come at all. She had promised she would visit Spike as soon as she returned from LA, but she had avoided him for over a week, knowing she didn't have any information for Spike that might help or encourage him. She was only here now out of guilt. 

Standing in front of the Xander's apartment, Buffy nervously fidgeted to find the spare key she had brought with her. It was mid-afternoon and she knew Xander would be at work and Spike would be sleeping. She supposed that was probably the reason she chose this time to come. Buffy quietly slipped into the apartment and crept over to Spike's closet of a room.  His door was cracked open slightly and Buffy widened the gap a bit more so she could look in on him, to be sure he was truly asleep. Spike lay tangled in the sheets, as though he had been tossing and turning earlier, but now he lay completely still, not even breathing. 

Careful not to awaken him, Buffy walked farther into the room, watching as he slept with a troubled look spread over his face. By now, Buffy had grown familiar with the look of anguish he had been wearing since he returned to Sunnydale with his soul. 

Buffy couldn't help feeling a pang of guilt when she thought of Spike's soul. Logically, she knew that there was no reason for her to feel guilty; it wasn't as though she had been the one to kill all those people, yet still she felt guilty for not being able to love him. If Spike had not been trying to win her affections, he would never have gotten his soul. He had assumed that his not having a soul was the only reason standing between he and Buffy, but that assumption had proven to be costly. Despite Spike's newfound remorse for his actions, Buffy still couldn't find it in her to love Spike, the way he loved her. She almost wished she could love him, to reward his noble act, but the feelings just weren't there.

Quietly continuing farther into Spike's room, Buffy sat on the edge of his bed. The moment she was seated, he began to toss and turn again. Reaching out a hand, Buffy stroked his back lightly, attempting to sooth him. Spike immediately relaxed, and laid still once again. 

Buffy sat on the bed and continued to watch him sleep for quite some time before deciding to return another time. Just as she was about to stand, Spike's eyes shot open and with demonic speed he had his fingers wrapped tightly around her neck. His face shifted into his demonic visage and he growled, first looking at her, then focusing on something behind Buffy.

"Spike, let go!" Buffy choked out, while clawing at the fingers slowly suffocating her.

"You fucked him?" Spike asked, turning his attention back to a now blue Buffy. 

Buffy's eyes widened, as she realized what Spike was talking about. There was no way he could have possibly known, but at the moment, that was the least of her problems. Letting go of his fingers, Buffy used all her strength to hit Spike in the nose. He quickly let go of her, snapping out of his strange trance.

"Buffy?" Spike asked, suddenly looking very confused.

"Spike, what the hell is wrong with you?" Buffy shouted, jumping off the bed and pulling out her stake.

"I don't know," Spike answered, honestly. "I'm sorry. Are you ok?"

"Fine. I was just going," Buffy replied, turning on her heal and hurrying out of his room.

"Wait!" Spike yelled, clutching the sheet around his waist and hurrying after her. He made it into the living room in time to see Buffy slam the door behind her. "I'm sorry!" Spike screamed, hoping she could hear him. 

***

AN: Okay, I know this chapter sucked too. I have an idea of where I'm going with the story now though, so there should be more B/A-ness still to come. Please review, and tell me if you think I should continue the story. 


	3. Part 3

**WARNING**: If you haven't seen up to Buffy Season 7 and Angel season 4 (specifically up to "Conversations with Dead People" and "Rain of Fire") then you might not want to read this story just yet…

Author: Immaturelittlegirl

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy and all those important people do. I'm just a kid; I own nothing.

Rating: PG-13 

Summary: Buffy goes to Angel hoping to get help for Spike but gets sort of sidetracked during her mission. B/A, mentions of b/s and a/c too.

Part 3

Quickly grabbing the bags from the trunk of his car, Angel hurried up the walkway to grab the door. Gunn followed behind, hobbling on his crutches past Angel and into the lobby of the Hyperion.

"You're home!" Fred squealed, rushing from her desk over to Gunn with a beaming smile.

"Yeah," Gunn responded with less enthusiasm.

"I'll go put these in your room for you," Angel suggested indicating the bags in his hands. Angel brushed past him, quickly making his way towards the stairs.

"Wait Angel, actually, could you put those things in a spare room? I think I'd like to change rooms," Gunn remarked casually, purposefully avoiding eye contact with Fred. Fred stared at him, shocked by his request.

Angel looked back and forth between Fred and Gunn uncertainly, before nodding and answering, "Sure."

"Thanks, man," Gunn replied shuffling farther into the room.

"You're moving out of our room?" Fred asked as soon as Angel was no longer visible. The hurt in her voice was audible, and Gunn felt a stab of guilt at the sound of pain in her voice.

"I've had a lot of time to think these past two weeks, and I think we both need the space to get ourselves together for a while. A break might be good for both of us, ya know?" Gunn stated firmly, putting on a false façade of confidence.

"A break? As in breaking up?" Fred's voice cracked as she began to understand what he was suggesting.

"For now. I think it would be best for the both of us," Gunn answered calmly.

"But Charles, I almost lost you again! You can't walk away from me now!" Fred was nearly hysterical, as tears began streaming down from her eyes.

"I'm not walking away. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere. Fred, I love you, but something has changed in our relationship; it's not what it use to be. I don't think I can go on pretending that it is. Maybe after some time passes, things will seem clearer and then we can sort things out, but for the time being…" Gunn trailed off.

"You want to break up," Fred finished, wiping at the tears streaming down her face with the back of her hands.

Gunn simply nodded, then watched as the woman he loved bounded up the stairs fleeing from him. His heart wrenched thinking about how much he was hurting her, but he couldn't help feeling that they both needed some time to themselves. After everything that happened with Wesley and her professor, it was time to rethink priorities. He could only hope that when they were done thinking, they would find each other again.

***

Angel slowly approached the top of the staircase, listening carefully for any signs of life. He had taken off earlier sensing that Gunn and Fred needed some alone time to talk, or possibly yell. But now he needed to get back to his office, and in order to do that, he needed to travel right through the potential battlefield. Angel carefully made his way down the stairs and was surprised to find the area silent. Scanning the room, Angel spotted Gunn sitting quietly on one of the sofas, staring off into space. 

"Hello," Angel greeted, finding the seat across from Gunn.

"Oh, hey. Didn't see you there…" Gunn responded, looking over to Angel and attempting to put on a false smile. 

"Everything okay?" Angel asked, noticing Gunn's depressed mood.

"Yeah… Fred and I just decided to take a break," Gunn admitted, his gaze falling to his lap where he was clasping his hands together, anxiously.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Angel replied sympathetically. An awkward silence passed, and Angel tried to come up with a change of topic. "Wesley was going to be stopping by soon with Chinese food for dinner. He should be here shortly."

"Wesley, just who I wanted to see," Gunn replied sarcastically.

"He was worried about you. We all were," Angel reminded Gunn, hoping the two would be able to get along for dinner. Angel had been dealing with enough of his own conflicts recently; he certainly wasn't looking forward to witnessing any conflicts between his friends.

"I know," Gunn answered reluctantly. "I don't know if Fred will be coming down for dinner, anyway. Maybe she will when Cordelia gets here, though."

"Cordelia's coming?" Angel questioned, raising his eyebrows.

"Yup. She said she'd stop by as soon as I was out of the hospital. She even mentioned bringing the kid along."

"Oh…" Angel's thoughts trailed off as images of Cordelia and Connor in bed together came to mind.

"They should probably be here soon," Gunn commented, looking to the door as it opened. As if on cue, Cordelia entered the lobby, slowly followed by Connor. Cordelia strolled directly up to Gunn and wrapped her arms around him in greeting. Connor stood back, carefully taking in his surroundings. His eyes darted around the room suspiciously before landing on Angel in a deadly glare. Angel was more than happy to return the stare.

"Gunn, I'm so happy to see you're doing better," Cordelia said as she loosened her grip on Gunn, and took a step away to inspect his condition.

"Yeah. The doctors said I healed quickly and I should be back to new in no time."

"That's a relief."

Angel watched silently, as Cordelia spoke cordially with Gunn for a few moments, before deciding he was better off not in her presence. Angel was still having trouble putting the past few weeks' events behind him, and since she had arrived it had become immensely more difficult.  

"I need to go finish some work up in my office. I'll be in there," Angel informed the group before quickly making his way to his office and shutting himself in where he could be alone. It wasn't normally like Angel to hide, but it seemed that was all he was doing lately: hiding from Cordelia, hiding from his thoughts, and hiding from his own self-loathing.

Sitting down to his desk, Angel began flipping through the ancient Sumerian spell book he had been studying earlier that evening. He had been searching for a spell to vanquish a particularly tricky demon, and was hoping by focusing his concentrations back on work, he would forget the certain someone who had broken his heart that was in the adjoining room. 

This plan was, naturally, shot to hell, when the aforementioned person knocked gently on the door before sticking her head in and smiling nervously. "Angel? Do you think I could talk to you for a moment?" Cordelia asked, stepping farther into the office and shutting the door behind her.

"Actually, I'm kind of busy. Maybe later?" Angel answered, not looking up from the text.

"Well, it's important, and I'd really like for you to hear this first, before I tell everyone else," Cordelia tried to persuade Angel.

Angel looked up at her for the first time since she had entered the room. Giving in, he finally asked, with evident irritation "What is it?"

Cordelia was slightly taken aback by his attitude, for a moment, and simply stood staring at him, nervously.

"I'm sorry Cordy, I shouldn't have… What was it you wanted to tell me?" Angel asked more calmly, this time.

"I… I just wanted you to know, before everyone else, that I'm… p-pregnant," Cordelia stuttered nervously. Unshed tears began to blur her vision, and she struggled to keep her emotions under control.

"What?" Angel yelled in shock, standing up abruptly.

"I… Well, Connor and I… we… He's the father," Cordelia struggled to explain, looking to the floor in embarrassment.

As what Cordelia was telling him began to come clear, pure rage began to seep into his blood. Angel stood dangerously still, trying to rein in his emotions. "I have to go," Angel stated, quickly darting from the office and through the lobby, passing Wesley with such speed that he caused Wesley to drop the paper bags containing the Chinese food.

"Angel!" Cordelia called running out into the lobby, just in time to see the front door slam shut.

"What was that all about?" Wesley asked bending down to pick up the dinner he had spilled.

Connor simply stood back and smirked, as he stared at the door his father had just stormed out of.

*** 

Angel had been driving for almost two hours, the entire time his blood boiling with anger and feelings of betrayal. His mind was racing, thinking of Connor and Cordy together, it all seemed so wrong to him. It was as if things only got harder the longer life went on, he didn't understand why everything had to be so unfair. The only child he would ever have, not only hated him, but was now having a baby with the woman Angel was in love with. Or he had thought he was in love with her. Fate sure seemed to have a strange sense of humor when it came to Angel.

Cruising down the highway, Angel began to look around, recognizing the scenery. He hadn't any idea where he had been heading; he had been too focused on his anger to take notice of where he was going. After thinking for a moment, Angel realized why his surroundings seem so familiar. 

"Home, sweet, home," Angel mumbled quietly as he passed the 'Welcome to Sunnydale!' sign on the outskirts of town.

*** 

Buffy flicked through the television stations, looking for something to occupy her mind. At that moment anything would do; she was home alone and bored out of her skull. The last thing she wanted to allow herself to do was wallow in depressing thoughts, and so she sat quietly in front of the idiot box, hoping for any form of entertainment or distraction. Unfortunately, there is absolutely nothing interesting on TV at ten o'clock on a Friday night. 

Finally giving up, she switched the television off and stood to stretch. Glancing around the room, Buffy hoped to think of something else to occupy her time. She briefly considered going for another patrol, but she had already spent a few hours slaying that night, and patrols tended to remind her of certain undead ex-boyfriends she was trying to keep her mind off of. If only she had a life, she wouldn't be sitting at home alone and bored on a Friday night. Willow was out of town for an assembly on witchcraft, Xander and Anya were out to dinner together, and Dawn was spending the night at a friend's house. Even Spike seemed to be busy; Xander claimed he hadn't seen him in days, predicting it had to do with the strange hours he kept. It seemed everyone on earth had a social life but her.

Plopping back down on the couch, Buffy begged her brain to let her fall asleep, but she already knew the attempts at sleep were fruitless. Her mind was too busy torturing her with thoughts of Angel. It had been two entire weeks since her encounter with Angel, yet he was still the only thing she was able to think about.

"What to do? What to do?" Buffy said aloud to herself. She was distracted from her thoughts when she heard a loud rapping on the front door. Hurrying to the door, Buffy opened it to find Angel standing on the doorstep. Angel stood still silently staring at her.

"Angel?" Buffy questioned, looking at him curiously. He appeared weak and exhausted; his eyes were dark and cheerless. After a moment, Angel stepped forward and buried his face in the crook of her neck, pulling her body close to his. He held onto her tightly, as if she were all there was securing him to the ground. 

Buffy's first reaction to his gesture was shock. She stood rigid with surprise for a moment before she eventually relaxed in his arms. She backed him away from the door and farther into the house, running her hands over his back as she tried to soothe him. 

"Angel? What's the matter?" Buffy finally asked, pulling away slightly so she could look him in the eye.

"Nothing," Angel answered, grimly.

"Nothing?" Buffy repeated, doubtfully. Buffy watched him carefully as he sucked in an unneeded breath and let out a sigh of frustration. 

"I don't know why I came here," he stated, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

Reaching a hand up, Buffy caressed the side of his face gently. Closing his eyes and leaning into her touch, he placed a soft kiss on the palm of her hand. This surprised Buffy, but encouraged her to continue. Reaching up on her tiptoes, she kissed Angel on the lips lightly. Angel's eyes shot open immediately, having not expected the kiss.

"Sorry," Buffy mumbled, backing away from him. "Sorry," she repeated before turning away and mentally scolding herself. What was she thinking?

"Buffy," he whispered, wrapping his fingers around her arm and pulling her back towards him. He leant down and kissed her gently. Pulling each other closer, the kiss intensified until they were each pulling at the others clothing.

"Bedroom," Buffy instructed in a muffled voice, gasping for breath. The two scrambled up the stairs, breaking the kiss only long enough to find their way to the comforts of Buffy's bedroom.

*** 

Angel awoke with a start, sitting up straight in the unfamiliar bed. Looking around, he quickly realized where he was. Grabbing his chest in a panic, he stopped all thought to concentrate on whether or not he had his soul. Confident that his soul was firmly in place, Angel relaxed for a moment and lay back down on the bed. Turning on his side, he watched Buffy sleep calmly beside him. 

Gazing at her bathed in the moonlight streaming in through the curtains, he realized he had never seen her look more beautiful. She looked so peaceful; he couldn't bear to think of what would change tomorrow. He would have to explain to her that he had run to her for comfort, when he couldn't have Cordelia. That he had used her to ease his broken heart. And to think of hurting her, making her feel as though she was no more than second best, was not something he could even stomach. The last thing he ever wanted was to hurt her again, yet for the second time in less than a month he had risked her emotions for his own selfishness. He disgusted himself. 

Looking over to the clock, he saw that it was just two o'clock in the morning; he still had enough time to make it home before sunrise, if he left soon. Weighing his options, he thought it best he leave now rather than wait around and be stuck in Buffy's house all day, after having to come clean about the Connor/Cordelia situation, and admitting that he had used her yet again.

His heart broke at the thought of leaving her side without saying anything, but had she been awake, he wouldn't have known what to say either. Brushing the hair from her face, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead before getting dressed and leaving, without so much as a note.

To Be Continued… 

AN: Again, not anything spectacular, although everyone who has reviewed has been so sweet, thank you so much. I know that they're not really behaving in character, and they wouldn't really take these kinds of risks, but I'm kind of playing on the idea that they are depressed and lonely. I don't really know if it works. I'd like to know what you think or if you have any suggestions.


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